Toolbars are known in the art for use in association with various agricultural pursuits, including seeding, fertilizing, plowing and the like. These systems typically involve a generally horizontal bar provided with several depending implements to modify a particular area of ground. It is desirable to provide a toolbar with as many depending implements as possible to treat as many rows as possible, during a single pass of the toolbar. As it is difficult to move very large toolbars on the highway, most toolbars are designed with a folding capability, which allows the toolbar to be folded for transport and extended to use.
While it is possible to fold spray booms rearward to evenly distribute the weight of the spray boom, folding back of a toolbar with depending implements places the implements too close to the front tire of the vehicle to allow the vehicle to turn without the tire contacting the depending implement.
It is also known in the art to fold the toolbar in front of the vehicle. Such systems, however, place a large amount of weight near the front of the vehicle, leading to instability of the vehicle. Such forward-folded systems also obscure a portion of the roadway from the operator.
While it would be possible to fold a large toolbar rearward in a manner that maintains the rearward portions of the toolbar a sufficient distance away from the wheels to allow an adequate turn radius, such an orientation significantly increases the width of the vehicle during transport, making it less desirable to operate on narrow and busy roadways.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a toolbar transport system that allows for the use of a long toolbar that may be folded to more evenly distribute the weight of the toolbar, allow close placement of the toolbar to the vehicle to reduce overall width, while allowing the wheels to turn adequately without contacting the implements depending from the toolbar.
The difficulties encountered in the prior art discussed hereinabove are substantially eliminated by the present invention.